After sailing away from Barbados, we immediately set the sails as the wind was in our favor to sail through the night and in the morning were delighted to wake to Caribbean skies and a warm easterly breeze. After we had our coffee and breakfast, we had an introduction to sailing with our Captain John Svendsen. Regaling us with stories of the past and how the sailors today operate this traditional sailing vessel. We had a few visitors along the way, one being a couple sperm whales and later in the evening some large octopus. We ended our evening with our Captain’s Cocktail Party where we met the Sea Cloud’s key staff and Captain John Svendsen had thoughtful words for our journey ahead. After a fabulous dinner, Expedition Leader Paula had a surprise star-gazing night on the back deck with the skies opening up for all to see.
2/16/2023
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Sea Cloud
Saint Lucia
As we arrived at Soufriere Harbor in Saint Lucia, we were greeted by the Sea Cloud off our port with a beautiful rainbow arcing over the ship, a good sign for the day to come. Our wonderful tour guides picked us up at the pier to shuttle us to the Volcano and Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens featured an impressive range of plant and bird species. We were lucky to see purple-throated and green-throated caribs, as well as many lesser Antillean bullfinch. A pre-lunch snorkeled followed, allowing guests one last chance to swim in the Caribbean Sea and experience life beneath the surface before returning to the ship for a final lunch. With the sun shining upon the ship, our captain positioned the vessel for a final photo under the Pitons and for a toast to our wonderful journey. The Sea Cloud then sailed off towards Bridgetown for our morning departure. This week's journey took guests to rainforests, coral reefs, beautiful beaches, as well as warm welcomes from the local communities we visited.